Computing systems these days have significantly more processing capabilities that traditionally have existed in the past and each single server is capable of supporting more users than ever before. Historically and technically speaking, servers have a configuration of a physical computer (i.e., computer hardware) on which an operating system resides, where the operating system is used to interface with the physical computer and manage applications that are utilized by users of the server.
As a result of the power of today's servers, it has become fairly common that servers within an organization operate with five-percent (5%) utilization when configured with an historic configuration (i.e., operating system and applications operating on a physical computer). Because of the low utilization of the servers, rather than buying more servers, hardware virtualization has developed, where multiple virtual machines are established on a physical computer and the virtual machines operating on the physical computer are managed thereon. These virtual machines may be created to operate applications and be configured to manage different groups of users, for example, as would be a physical computer. Conventional virtualization is deployed in a very similar manner as conventional software, where downloaded software or computer disks are used to install the virtualization technology and supporting tools by an information technology (IT) professional, and the IT professional manages the virtualization technology and supporting tools in a similar manner as managing other software applications.
Because of overhead requirements for hardware virtualization, hardware virtualization has traditionally been utilized by large companies that can afford the overhead that comes with managing such a configuration. That is, although multiple virtual machines can be operated on a single physical computer, there are inherent management requirements that the company has to absorb in managing installed virtualization technologies, virtual machines and the supporting tools, where the management requirements include maintaining, upgrading, performing compliance management, backing-up, and so forth, as understood in the art. While multiple virtual servers may be placed onto a single physical computer, a separate management system is utilized. For small companies, hardware virtualization is generally a luxury that cannot be afforded despite benefits that are provided by hardware virtualization.